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Cooking, Recipe and Food Blog

Aromatic Swede and Carrots

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This side dish is great when served with a juicy succulent joint of meat – the crunch of the Mustard Seeds coupled with the smooth creamy textures of the Swede and Carrots.
Carrot Swede
You can make the mashing as thorough as you want – ranging from barely breaking it up (a personal favourite) through to making it so smooth you could drink it through a straw (but don’t try to drink it…)

To Serve 4
450g Swede
450g Carrots
Salt and Pepper
25g Butter
1tsp Black Mustard Seeds
2 pieces Preserved Stem Ginger in Syrup, drained

1. Peel and dice the Swede and Carrots into chunks – the smaller the pieces the faster they’ll cook and the easier it will be to mash in into a smooth texture at the end. I’d recommend about two centimetres squared.
2. Bring two pans of lightly salted water to the boil, and cook the Swede and Carrots separately, and cook until they are tender.
3. In a small heavy based saucepan, melt the Butter, and add the Mustard Seeds, cooking until they begin to pop. Chop the Preserved Stem Ginger up, and add to the pan, stirring for a minute over a low heat.
4. Drain the Swede and Carrot very well, tossing in the colander to break them up a little bit. Mash them into the same pan using a Vegetable Mill or Potato Masher, according to how you’d like the texture. Season generously with Pepper, and stir in half of the Mustard and Ginger mixture.
5. Transfer to a serving dish, and pour the remaining Mustard and Ginger mixture over the top, and serve at once.

Photo Courtesy of: nedrichards

Smoked Salmon and Mustard Potatoes

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These Potatoes are great party food and a great starter. This dish is very simple to make, and it’s easy to see why they are very popular. You can easily make a range of these Potatoes with varying levels of heat to them – use Dijon Mustard, Wholegrain Mustard, English Mustard, or add extra Mustard powder if you really want.
Potato Skins
To make these more ‘party food’ rather than starters, instead of halving the Potatoes, cut them into quarters – you don’t need to change the quantities of anything!

To Serve 4
4 Medium Baking Potatoes
25g Butter
200g Smoked Salmon Trimmings
2tbsp Flat-Leafed Parsley, Finely Chopped
1tbsp Wholegrain Mustard

1. Pre-Heat an oven to 220C.
2. Cut the Potatoes into halves or quarters, and score the fleshy parts with a criss-cross pattern to help them cook quicker. Bake for thirty to forty minutes until soft through.
3. Heat a grill, and scoop out the cooked Potato Flesh into a bowl, adding the butter and mashing lightly. Stir in the Salmon trimmings, the Parsley and Mustard, before seasoning to taste.
4. Grill for five minutes, until crisp and golden on top.

Sprinkle with some more of the Parsley, or thinly sliced Spring Onions, and serve with small pots of Sour Cream, a Green Salad or with a small amount of cheese melted on top.

Photo Courtesy of: Kat Johnston

Roast Duck

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Succulent, juicy and a great treat – and becoming more and more popular as an alternative to Turkey as a Christmas Dinner.

Roast Duck

All you have to do is look at the image above to see how juicy it is!

To serve 4
1 large Duck
The Neck and Giblets
1 Small Onion
1 Celery Stick
1 Carrot
Oil
1 Bay Leaf
1 small glass Red Wine
½ teaspoon Redcurrant Jelly

1.       Heat the oven to 220 C, and if the Duck is tied up, untruss the Duck – cut the string and pull the legs out away from the body gently – this will help the heat get around them easier

2.       Remove the wing tips on them – there’s no meat on them, but keep them to help with the flavour of the Giblet Stock. Chop up the Neck, Heart, Gizzard and Wing tips, plus the Onion, Celery and Carrot roughly. Fry them over a medium-hot heat in a little oil to brown them off, and the vegetables are slightly caramelised. Put these into a saucepan, as well as the Bay Leaf, cover with just over half a litre of water and simmer for around one and three quarters of an hour.

3.       Remove any extra fat from inside the cavity, and prick all over the fatty area of the skin – make sure you prick where the breast joins the legs, and you don’t go too deep, and season with Salt and Pepper.

4.       Place the Duck in a roasting tin, and cook for around twenty minutes, until the fat starts running. Turn the heat down to 180 C and baste the bird, before returning it to the oven.

5.       Baste the bird every twenty minutes or so, and check to see if the juice is clear after around ninety minutes. Tip the Duck to make sure any juices and fat are back in the Roasting Tin, and then transfer the Duck to a warmed plate or carving tray.

6.       For the gravy, pour the juices from the roasting tin, deglaze the tray with the red wine, and then strain the giblet stock into a clean pan. Boil down to reduce into a rich, syrupy gravy, and add some of the redcurrant jelly to make sweeter if you’d like.

Photo Courtesy of: Avlxyz

Lamb Shanks with Cannellini Beans

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Soft, melt in your mouth Lamb, with a mouth-watering array of flavours and textures. Sure fire comfort food, this dish is great either on its own, or with creamy mashed potatoes.
Lamb Shank

To Serve 4
250g Cannellini Beans (soaked overnight in water)
2tbsp Sunflower Oil
1 Large Onion, thinly sliced
4 Carrots, chopped
2 Celery Sticks, thinly sliced
1 Clove of Garlic, chopped
4 Large Lamb Shanks
400g Canned Chopped Tomatoes
300ml Red Wine
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 Orange
2 Bay Leaves
3 Rosemary Sprigs
225ml Water
Salt and Pepper

1.       Heat the oven to 160 C. Drain the soaked Beans and rinse under cold running water, before putting into a large pan of cold water and bring to the boil, then boil rapidly for ten minutes, whilst removing anything floating on the surface. Drain and set aside

2.       Heat oil in a large, flameproof casserole dish, and add the Onion and cook for five minutes, or until they’ve softened. Add the Carrots and Celery, cook for a further five minutes (or until the Onion begins to brown). At this point, spread the vegetables to the sides of the pan.

3.       Add the Lamb Shanks to the pan, and brown off all over. Add the Beans, Wine, Tomatoes and Orange Zest and Juice, and stir. Add in the Rosemary and Bay Leaves. Pour the water in, so that the liquid comes around halfway up the Shanks. Season with Pepper (don’t use the salt yet – it will stop the beans from softening)

4.       Bring to the boil on a hob, then cover and cook in the oven for around an hour. Turn the Shanks over and then cook for another ninety minutes, until the Lamb and Beans are tender. Remove the Bay Leaves, taste, and season.

Serve either on its own, or for a bigger meal, serve with Mashed Potatoes.

Beef Pot Roast

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When Roasting a Beef joint, it’s quite easy to cook for too long, and the meat dry out. Cooking in one pain means that it’s going to retain more of the juices, keeping it more succulent, easier to carve and with more flavour in it.

This Brisket joint is a very overlooked cut of Beef, but it has so much going for it – it’s very cheap, needs just a little cooking to turn into a tender, juicy meat. It’s great, as you can put it in the oven, and ignore it (aside from a check up every so often), until it’s ready to serve.

To serve 4

1kg Brisket Cut of Beef

2tbsp Olive Oil

1 Red Onion

2tbsp Cider Vinegar

2tbsp Brown Sugar

3 Bay Leaves

3 sprigs of Thyme

900ml Beef Stock

1 Yellow Pepper

2 Chopped Carrots

200g Cubed Swede

1.       Heat the Oil in a pan, and add the Beef joint. Brown the meat all over.

2.       Transfer to an ovenproof dish, with a lid on it. Chop the Red Onion, and add to the pan, before cooking for two to three minutes.

3.       Add the Cider Vinegar, Brown Sugar, Bay Leaves, Thyme and Beef Stock, before covering with Greaseproof paper, and the lid.

4.       Heat the oven to 160 C/ Gas Mark 3 for an hour, before stirring and checking on the liquid.

5.       Cook for a further ninety minutes, before adding some chopped Yellow Pepper, Carrot and Swede. Season well, and cook for a further forty minutes.

Photo Courtesy of Ndrwfgg

Cheese and Onion Tart

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Sweet Onions with creamy ricotta, this posh vegetarian dish is so tempting that you’ll have to make more for the meat eaters.

It’s also quite healthy, and ready in just over thirty minutes, so very handy as an ‘Oops I’ve forgotten dinner’ dish, without anyone realising!

Serve as part of a Ploughmans Lunch, or in a large slice on a big spread of picky-bits, with a variety of other dishes.

To Serve 6

20cm Shortcrust Pastry Dish

1tsp Olive Oil

4 Medium Onions (Sliced)

3 Sprigs Thyme (leaves only)

50g Tin of Anchovies in Olive Oil (drained and finely Chopped)

1tbsp Brown Sugar

2 Leeks (Sliced)

125g Ricotta Cheese

30g Parmesan (Grated)

1.       Heat the oven to 200 C or Gas Mark 6

2.       Line the pastry case with Baking paper and baking beans, putting in the oven for twenty minutes, before removing the paper and beans, and cooking empty for another five minutes.

3.       Heat the Oil in a frying pan, and add the Onions, Thyme and Anchovies, before cooking for ten minutes.

4.       Add the Sugar and Leeks to the frying pan, and cook for a further ten minutes, stirring well to make sure it’s evenly spread.

5.       Season the Ricotta to taste, and spread over the pastry base. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top, and then spoon the Onion mixture on top of this.

6.       Bake for ten minutes, and serve.

Photo Courtesy of: Kirsten Loza

Steak Supper

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Juicy, rich, tender Steak, with crisp, golden Potatoes, served with a creamy sauce. And all ready in around ten minutes. Not a bad dinner is it!

Steak Supper

The juices from the steak go beautifully with the cream sauce, and a fresh garden salad compliments the tastes and textures you get from this dish. The Wine in the sauce is also removable for children if you want, but it really adds to the sophistication of the dish.

To serve 2

400g Small Potatoes, sliced  thinly

Pinch of Sweet Paprika

2tbsp Olive Oil

2 thin-cut Sirloin Steaks

1tsp Crushed Peppercorns

25g Butter

2 Shallots, chopped finely

1tbsp Green Peppercorns

75ml Dry White Wine

100ml Double Cream

A few sprigs of Flat Leaf Parsley, finely chopped

1.       Put the Potatoes into a large bowl, and season with Salt, Pepper and a little bit of the Paprika. Heat a Tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan, and cook for two to three minutes on each side, until golden brown. Transfer these slices to a baking tray and place in a moderately warm oven to keep warm.

2.       Rub a little oil onto each Steak, and season with Salt and crushed Peppercorns, before frying in a very hot non-stick Griddle pan or Frying pan for thirty seconds to a minute per side. Remove from the pan and leave to rest, covered with foil.

3.       Melt butter in a pan, add the chopped Shallots for two minutes, then the Green Peppercorns and wine, and allow to bubble until the wine has almost evaporated from the pan.

4.       Mix in the cream and parsley, as well as any juices from the steak.

Serve, with a salad of Cherry Vine Tomatoes and a variety of Leaves

Photo Courtesy of: FotoosVanRobin

Fruit and Nut Cous Cous

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Served warm or cold, this dish is delicious for Lunch or dinner. To mix it up, try a different flavour of stock, and different herbs.

To Serve 4
250g Cous Cous
200g Fruit and Nut Mix (Peanuts, Sultanas, Raisins, Brazil Nuts, Almonds, etc.)
1 tsp paprika
700ml Vegetable Stock

1.Toast the Cous Cous, Fruit and Nuts and paprika in a heavy bottomed pan for a few minutes.
2.Slowly add the Vegetable Stock, turn the heat down until simmering
3.Cook until the Cous Cous is tender.

Simple Pleasure: Milk & Cookies

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bfmoreomilk

The Urban Dictionary defines “milk and cookies” as:

the best medicine to be found in the kitchen

… and I have to agree. My mother-in-law is 82 and looks incredibly good for her age. Seriously, she looks at least twenty years younger (I’d post a photo here if she wasn’t so shy). One of her secrets? Milk and cookies for dinner.

Now, this might not seem like the healthiest of choices- but really, how can you go wrong? The milk gives you calcium and Vitamin D, the cookies give you chocolate (chock-full o’ antioxidants). And the combination of a chilled glass of creamy milk and some chocolate cookies gives you comfort- and a lot of pleasure. It is, after all, what you traditionally leave for Santa on Christmas Eve.

You can, of course, simply open a bag of Oreos, which are classic. But if you’d like to kick up your experience a notch, here are some of our recipes for cookies that go awesomely with milk: